Dedication of the Orem Utah Temple
As a child, Erika Faragher asked her parents why there wasn’t a temple in their native city of Orem, Utah. They always told her it was because there was already a temple in Provo, Utah. Yet the dedication of the Orem Utah Temple in 2024 “shows that actually we do need temples,” said Sister Faragher, who was then serving as a local service missionary. “We need temples everywhere.”
The supernal influence of this house of the Lord was evident even before its dedication. Ronald Stoddard, historian for the Orem temple’s dedication committee, said, “The Spirit is so strong even before [the temple] is dedicated. There’s been experience after experience of people coming to the open house and feeling such a spirit of peace and love. It’s just been a thrill to see the changes in the lives of people.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Orem temple in two sessions on Jan. 21, 2024. He was joined by Elder Patrick Kearon, called into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles just the month prior. General Authority Seventies also in attendance included Elder Hugo E. Martinez, first counselor in the Utah Area presidency; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, executive director of the Temple Department; and Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt, assistant executive director of the Temple Department.
Although Latter-day Saints’ problems and challenges don’t change when they leave the temple, said Elder Christofferson, their perspective does change. “We now see that what had seemed overwhelming and impossible can, with the Lord’s help, find resolution, and we are more certain of His help.”
Elder Kearon added that Church members can find solace, peace and refuge in the house of the Lord, especially when they feel lost. “In this sacred space, our true selves can be found, as we leave the distractions and pettiness of the world outside and receive an extra measure of the Spirit of the Lord to help us hear His still, small voice and meet the demands of life.”
The Orem temple provides a special blessing to local young adults, including the 10,000 young adults who lived within a two-mile radius of the temple in early 2024. Less than a mile away from the temple site stands Utah Valley University, which had nearly 45,000 students when the temple was dedicated. Five miles away also lies Brigham Young University, which had almost 35,000 students.
When temple leadership asked for as many young single adult ordinance workers as possible, they answered with an “amazing” number approaching their bishops and stake presidents to serve, said Orem Utah YSA 4th Stake President John Bingham.
This service will guide them, he said, as they face so much uncertainty. “They’ll be able to hear the voice of the Lord as it relates to their own lives and ... things that they are trying to decide that are critical to their futures.”
Glen Mella, a coordinator for the Orem temple open house and dedication committee, said the temple is a “daily battery charge that young people will see just by looking at it, and then hopefully participating in what it has to offer inside.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are grateful for our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of us have enjoyed this blessing throughout our lives thanks to the faith and example of our fathers and mothers, grandparents and other ancestors. Through their nobility and sacrifices they built families of faith that have endured and will yet endure through generations. Bless them, dear Father, and help us to be faithful in our time as they were in theirs.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Orem Utah Temple here.
Timeline of the Orem Utah Temple
The Orem temple was announced Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were held on Sept. 5, 2020, and presided over by Elder Craig C. Christensen, president of the Utah Area.
After a public open house from Oct. 27 to Dec. 16, 2023, the Orem temple was dedicated by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Jan. 21, 2024.
Architecture and Design of the Orem Utah Temple
The Orem Utah Temple is a three-story, granite-cladding building of 71,998 square feet. Including its spire, the house of the Lord reaches 218 feet into the air. With a site originally home to many fruit orchards, the temple features the design of the cherry tree — including its blossoms, leaves, fruit and branches — throughout the interior.
Four instruction rooms, each with 50 seats, are in the temple. Marble wainscots and wood columns are used throughout the building, and flooring includes Crema Marfil marble from Turkey and fabricated in California. Covering the instruction rooms is carpet carved with a diamond pattern and circle accents.
The temple stands on a 15.39-acre site, with trees, shrubs and perennials filling the grounds, including white fir, bigtooth maple, Norwegian sunset maple, snow queen hydrangeas, common periwinkle and whirling butterfly bushes. Mountains can be seen in the distance on the east side. A 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse is located on the west side of the area.
Interior Photos of the Orem Utah Temple
